The Nazareth girls’ tennis doubles team of Senior Alysa Straub and Junior Lexie Petrovic, succeeded in winning second place in the state tournament in Mt. Prospect on Oct 20 and are this month’s Athletes of the Month.
Straub and Petrovic both have had tennis experience before playing at Nazareth. Petrovic, who is 15, has been playing tennis since she was 9 years old, and Straub, who is 16, has been playing tennis since she was 4. Both girls originally competed individually and were excited to play on a team when they came to Nazareth. Petrovic and Straub had known each other prior to coming to Nazareth, so when the opportunity presented itself to work together as a pair, they gladly accepted.
The two girls started practicing as a pair in October and progressed as a winning team all the way to the championship game in the state tournament. Straub, who had participated in the state singles tournament in Mount Prospect last year, had experience in playing in a state tournament before, but both girls can agree that this tournament was a once in a lifetime experience. Petrovic remembers how nervous Straub and she was in the beginning. The girls had an impressive record during the season and they were expected to rank highly as a pair in the tournament. However, the girls pushed past their fear and made into the final match. The girls played well against the defending champion team from Hinsdale Central, but unfortunately lost the match, winning the second game with a score of 6-3, but losing the first and third with both scores being 6-4. Even though the girls did not actually win the tournament, the girls and the rest of their team felt as though they did. Straub and Petrovic were carried off the court by their fellow teammates in celebration.
“It was an amazing experience to be able to pull that off,” said Petrovic. The girls made Naz history that day, by becoming the first Nazareth girls’ tennis players to ever compete in a state championship.
Straub and Petrovic are grateful for their wonderful experience as part of the Naz tennis team. They expressed happiness and joy for being able to exceed what they had accomplished last year and are already looking forward to next season.
“My main goal for next year is to win first place in state! That would be amazing since we came so close this year!” Petrovic explained. Petrovic believes that if she and Straub train together a little bit more beforehand, it will be beneficial for next year’s season. Straub’s goal for next year is also to win state, but she also wants to improve her singles record as well, which will occur with more conditioning. The girls are not opposed to hard work, though they do admit that tennis can be a hard sport to manage at times.
“ It involves a lot of time and commitment, and sometimes I am forced to miss many social activities that are a part of being a teenager,” explained Straub, “Tennis is also very stressful and a lot of times I feel pressured to succeed”. However, both girls agree that though there is no easy way to master tennis, a positive attitude is key. They say that the best way to stay positive is to have fun with their teammates. Straub and Petrovic had had some of their greatest memories while playing with their teammates, who are very supportive and make tournaments and practices fun. If Petrovic could give some advice to other tennis players, it would be that having fun is important because a lot of players get sick of the sport when they take it to seriously. Straub’s advice for aspiring tennis players was that if they slack off in practice, it is worse than not going to practice at all. Also, she strongly believes in staying dedicated to the sport.
“I highly recommend sticking to the sport because you can meet many different people and it’s an awesome experience,” said Straub.
Straub and Petrovic are proud of each other for what they accomplished together and are thankful for their teammates and how strong of a friendship they have developed as a pair. Nazareth is extremely proud of these two talented girls, and wishes them luck in next year’s season.